Jeffrey and Susan Mader with their 1972 Datsun 240Z. Photos by author.

The Datsun Z, which debuted in the United States in 240Z form in 1970, was the first Japanese sports car that American buyers took seriously. Despite the car’s popularity, few early models have survived the ravages of time, and even fewer have survived in unmodified form. Though restored on several occasions, Jeffrey Mader’s 1972 Datsun 240Z is one such car; to say it looks as good as the day it rolled off the assembly line is a bit of a slight, because, quite frankly, it looks better than that.

Jeffrey’s passion for the 240Z dates to his childhood, when his early sports car dreams were shaped by his father’s 1970 240Z. Over the years, he admits to owning “numerous” examples, including a few that are currently mid-restoration. The star of his collection, however, is a lime green (technically, 112 Yellow) 1972 240 Z that was purchased in 2007, and served as one of the Nissan Vintage Z program cars restored by Pierre’Z Service Center in Hawthorne, California.

The Z has been a long-term part of Nissan’s identity in the United States, and when rising prices and slowing sales killed the 300ZX at the end of the 1996 model year, Nissan assumed the car’s absence would be temporary. An all-new Z-car would arrive in 2002, but to bridge the gap (and remind U.S. customers of Nissan’s heritage), the automaker had a flash of genius: To keep the model fresh in the minds of American customers, it would offer restored 240Zs, complete with 12-month, 12,000-mile limited warranties, for sale though select Nissan dealerships in California, Texas, Florida, Georgia and Virginia.

On paper, it was a brilliant plan, but in application it was hurt by several factors. Initially, the quality of the restoration was not up to customer expectations, particularly in light of the Vintage Z’s $24,950 asking price. This was addressed quickly enough, but the cost of refurbishing the cars turned out to be higher than anyone had anticipated, and even with a price increase to $27,500 the venture proved unprofitable for Nissan. While the automaker had initially discussed restoring 200 Datsun 240Zs, in the end the program rebuilt just 37 examples, including two procured by Nissan for its own collections.

Jeffrey’s 1972 240Z was one of the later cars restored in the program, and thus benefits from the knowledge gained on reconstructing earlier 240Zs. Though the 2.4-liter, 151-horsepower, inline-six engine was restored by a shop in Texas as part of the original Nissan-backed program, Jeffrey had it gone through again in 2013; at the same time, the engine bay was repainted in the car’s original color, though the exterior paint remains original to the car’s 1999 restoration. Aside from the period-correct slotted mag wheels (a dealer installed option), the car remains in stock form, with no engine, exhaust, suspension or body modifications, and Jeffrey intends on keeping it that way. It may not be numbers-matching (Nissan made no effort to pair original engines with original chassis during the Vintage Z program), but it certainly is rust-free and in showroom condition.

Jeffrey and his wife, Susan, enjoy the car as much as their schedule allows in the spring, summer and fall, and the couple drove the 240Z to the Hemmings Sports & Exotic Car show from their home in Sudbury, Massachusetts. A friend suggested trailering it, but Jeffrey never entertained the idea for long. “What’s the point of owning a car like this,” he told me, “if you can’t enjoy it on the road?”

Hi Jeff, I really enjoy when owners are present on the blog. I never was really into Asian cars, when this car came out, I had an MGB, so my interest was limited at the time, but I’ve got to tell ya, this is one sweet car. Like autobug2 says, they weren’t around long in Wisconsin. Love the engine compartment, although, the less said about the SU carbs, the better.

In 1985 I bought at Triumph TR3B. More than a decade before, during my high school years plenty of friend had MGs and Austin-Healy Sprites and of course all complained about their SUs. Fortunately one of my co-workers who had owned several early Volvos, gave me a quick rundown on the carbs. Basically if they went out of sync, it was more likely to be as a result of another problem, like valve clearances. Set,’em, forget ’em except to make sure oil was in the upper chamber and that worked for me for years. They were probably the most efficient fuel delivery devices (they even compensated for altitude) until fuel injection became more widely available.

Hi Jerry, that’s true, they were probably the simplest carb to come down the pike. Another reason, I found out later, why they were so hard to tune (or keep tuned) was the throttle shafts would wear, causing an air leak.

I followed an MGB with a ’72 Z also…and was on the waiting list at Anderson Datsun in Loves Park, IL for 6 months. I passed on a blue one and the next one that came in was a red (not orange) one. I took delivery on Christmas eve 1972 with dealer installed wheels & air con, and front spoiler. Great car, daily driver, but it rusted through the quarter panels in less than two years despite washing it constantly and waxing it a lot.
I had the quarters repaired and repainted and a friend bought it for “window sticker”; $5,000. Replaced it with a ’75 280Z w/ factory air and 5-speed for $7500.

1975’s came with a four speed not five (Though ours keeps asking for that fifth speed)
. 1977 was the first year the 5-speed was a factory option. The 280Z had a 4-speed as standard years (1975-78), the 5-speed was optional 1977-78.

To do list:
1) Get keyboard drool guard.
2) Make enough money to buy a Datsun 240Z
3) Repeat 2) several times.

Good. Grief. What a gorgeous, perfect car! I never knew about that program for the factory to restore cars and even to offer a warranty on those restored cars. I wonder if that would work better in today’s world where the people with money have even more money now than they had back then. Surely, a mint, restored-by-factory Datsun 240Z could be sold for $40,000, or whatever they’d need to sell them at and still make a profit while keeping the iconic car alive in the minds of the general public. This is the color that I’d want, this or orange. I’d prefer non-slotted-dealer-add-on wheels, just because they’re on almost every car that I see, but wow, what a car!

Wow, I stand corrected. I had no idea that it would be that expensive. Thanks for the insider info, Jeff. It sounds like you may have other cars undergoing restoration, I hope we’ll get to see them someday.

To be honest, for as early as this Z is, it’s probably THE nicest, most prestine example Ive seen since these were new!
(And yes–most of these have succumbed to the ravages of time over 3 decades ago. The engine would run forever; the bodies were for Fred Flintstone in 3 years!)

Those aren’t the usual slot mags you typically see on S30s. It looks great, Jeff!

I can remember when these were being built, that someone offered a power steering conversion kit. Are they really needed? Also, I’ve known a few people that owned S30s, but I’ve never gotten to drive one.

I still have an old Datsun advertising board with the slogan “Drive a Datsun. Then decide.”
Good advice for you even now. Z owners are prone to allow such drives, though they will usually insist on riding along.

Looking for a new car in late 1970 and 21 at the time I had three cars in mind; the new Camaro Z-28, the new Challenger and a new sports car from Datsun called the 240-Z. I took the Z for a drive not knowing what to expect. I sat in it and felt like I was sitting on the floor, finding it awkward to see out the windshield. I rolled down the window and went to put my arm on the window sill. My elbow felt like it was up beside my head. That did it; it felt so awkward based on what I was used to I headed back to the dealership. All that wonderful shifting and speed couldn’t convince me to buy Japanese for another 15 years. Seeing LimeZ sorta makes me wonder if I made the right decision.

Thinking back to early 1970, it would have been tough to choose between the 240Z and the 1970 Z-28. From a comfort standpoint, may you could have used a little more time actually driving the 240Z before deciding. It does have a high waistline, but Jeff is correct-they are very comfortable longterm. There are actually three very sweet 240Z’s near Boston, the others are a white with red interior, and a red with black interior version, both displayed at local shows last summer. Ah, to have all three together somewhere this summer would be cool.

Didn’t own one but drove the heck out of one. My sister and bro’-in-law had a nice lime green ’72 (I think) that they put in my stewardship August 1977 while they went on a long vacation. Scare one: walking out the door of the Fairfield (CT) Public Library and thinking, “oh [shucks], someone stole it!” Thank goodness it was there, but so much lower in profile than other cars of the day…whew. Scare two: It overheated on the Manhattan Bridge in very slow traffic — Son of Sam days, everyone seemed on edge in NYC — and a carful of thoughtful guys offered to watch it while I went for help. Thanks, but even as a young rube from New Haven I wasn’t falling for it. Ended up on 5th Ave very late at night when some guy in a 260 thought he was faster (either he wasn’t or he wasn’t as dumb as I was), then at well over 100 on I-95 going home. Very fun car, very safe car, but a month was enough. I would have lost my license eventually.

I salute you Mr. Mader for your attitude on driving and enjoying classic cars. What indeed is the point of having a gorgeous car, truck or motorcycle and just having it in a garage or warehouse, and sit and look at it? Never got it, myself.

In 1970,plopped down $3500 cash and bought my 1971 sight unseen based on a review in Road &Track. Was put on a waiting list for approx 3 months. Wanted a silver one but as Ismashed up my Healey 3000 and was a pedestrian, I jumped when a yellow one was delivered to the dealer. Almost never, ever regretted the decision, except when rust took its toll. Great autocross car. As a purest however, those aftermarket wheels have to go!

Datsun got the styling for this Fairlady Z export version right the first time, so I never understood the changes they made to the body in subsequent years, especially the 280Z 2+2. Nice looking car, just like the Porsche 914 yesterday

The S30 2+2 first showed up as a model in 1974 as a 260Z — the most unfortunate example of the marque. Potential Z customers oftimes came to the dealers to look at the early 2-seat coupes, but turned away because of lack of space in the back even to carry groceries, much less anything substantial in luggage.
So the reason why Nissan/Datsun developed the 2+2 was the same reason as Jaguar did the same thing — customer demand.
Clearly as an aesthetic design, they are not as attractive as the coupes to most people’s eyes. And they tended overall to be more “ladies'” cars than otherwise. But with the seat up, two (very) small children (or a couple of double amputees) could sit in the back for short distances. And with the seat down, the rear luggage space could accommodate Much more than the coupe.
As an example, I bought a 1978 2+2 from the original owners — a retired couple who played a lot of golf. They couldn’t fit two golf bags into the coupe, but they could into the 2+2. Since it was their Recreational Sports Car, mostly they drove it to and from various golf courses in the Pacific Northwest, and were Most satisfied with it. So that’s an example of the practical reasons.
There is another.
At Bonneville, the 2+2 fits into one of the “sedan” classes, while the 2-seater runs in a different class entirely. With the same modifications to the drivetrain, allegedly the 2+2 was marginally faster through the trap, because of the different aerodynamics. So there’s a performance aspect to it as well.
I quite agree. The 2+2 is not as attractive as the coupe, which is why I sold mine to a good friend who did like the increased practicality of it. And as it now turns out, the 2+2s are the rarer car, because once they needed repair, people were more prone just to throw them away.
That’s the inside story of why the 2+2 was developed.
The S30 series body was made unchanged from the 1970 through the 1978 model years. It was fitted with more crash-resistant bumpers, but by and large there’s no mistaking it with the subsequent ZX series. Those went upmarket also in response to customer demand for more “luxury” and conveniences. Personally, my preference always was with the S30’s until the Z32 (second series 300ZX) came out in 1990. That was every bit as beautiful as the S30, just with a different aesthetic.

Jeff what a beautiful car! I was fortunate enough to see it this past weekend and grab some pictures of it, both stationary and in motion. What a sight to behold! Capturing that splendid paint was a bit of a task, but I don’t think I would want it in any other color (ok maybe orange).

I’m also glad to hear you drove it. That’s how it should be! Keep on enjoying it and I hope to see it again in the near future.

In 1971 I was the second owner of a 1970 240Z after totaling my 1969 BMW 2002. I understood at the time that Nissan (Datsun) had copied the Jaguar XK-E including some of it’s obvious flaws including locating much of the electrical control system close the front wheel well. This approach may have been fine for Florida or California but in upstate NY it was not a reliable car and did not drive anywhere near as well as the BMW. After less than a year of having to scrape rust out of the brake calipers every few months, I sold it and got another 2002 and never looked back. I will admit that while I had it I met my wife of now 42 years and she was attracted in part by the 240Z but quickly decided she also like the BMW better.

The idea that Nissan “copied” the E-type is a modern urban myth. The design history of the car is known, from the original sketches by a German designer to the subsequent re-do of those in Japan and California for later production. It was never really developed as competition for or a copy of the E-type. Katayama had his own vision and managed to bring it to production against some otherwise formidable corporate hurdles.
I suspect folks tend to think of the “copy” idea because the basic design of a 2-seater coupe for mass production will probably hew pretty closely to a similar set of constraints, having to do with passenger room, engine compartment, wheel placement etc.
But having until recently owned both an E-type 2-seater and my S30 Black Pearl coupe simultaneously, and working on both of them in my shop, I can assure you that there is little/no actual copying that anyone can see.
Having said that, Jaguar probably should have made something more like the Z than trying to go upmarket in the much larger, heavier and ungainly XJ-S. Frankly, I believe that even trying to do so was something that Jaguar would have found impossible. It was not particularly interested in developing a reasonably high-performance car in the downmarket segment.
The electrical system discussion may well have been derivative more than it reasonably should have been, but it was Never because it was copied.
At most shows I attend, one of the best comments often made when folks compare the E-types to the Zs is that the Zs actually start, and the lights (most) always work.
My wife was initially attracted to me because of my Z as well, and we still have it. Her take was that if I had been a BMW driver, she would never have stuck around But her car of choice is SAAB, and just last week I bought her the 6th – and probably the last — actual SAAB she will have. But she’ll have it for at least ten years, just as the previous five.
It’s always good when folks find cars they like and stick with. Good on ya!

I saw your car at the show. A fine example amongst the many Zs present. My 3rd car was a 1975 260Z and later I bought a 78 280Z. Always loved these cars. I even had a 79 280ZX for a while but still enjoyed the earlier Z cars.
It is definitely on my list of “must have” cars, I just need to get the money & space.
Gorgeous car. Thanks for bringing it.

There are three cars in which I sat behind the wheel of in my youth, that left a permanent impression. The first was an MGA, later, an Apollo 3500GT, and the 240Z. I’m glad this beautiful 240Z gets driven and enjoyed. When I sold VW in the mid ’80s, one of my GTI demos was sold, so took a 280Z from our used car lot for a weekend. Not nearly as pure as the 240Z, but pleasant. A 240Z is definitely on my bucket list.

I just sold a pair of aluminum intake manifolds for the triple carburetor setup to a Z shop in Salt Lake City. I prefer fuel injection myself (have a custom-made single rail unit on mine) but those will be Most attractive when properly set up.
You might check Z shops in SLC.
You can also call Z Therapy in Salem, Oregon. He does triple carburetor setups for Zs (races one locally and does quite well with it) and may well have some photos for you.
His name is Steve Epperly, and the number is on his website.

I worked in a car repair shop in high school and part of my job was to take the customers to work or home, then drive the car back to the shop to do the work on it. There was this really pretty woman, early 20’s, that had a Z this same color and I would just love it when she showed up! Here I am 16, driving this hot chick around LA in an awesome car! Loved the way the whole front end would lift up under a little power and quick shifts. I almost bought one when I was in my early 20’s, but my wife said she couldn’t push the clutch in. It was kinda like OJ putting those gloves on, she wasn’t even trying! Sigh…

I spent 1969 in Vietnam trying to stay alive long enough to get home and buy a new sportscar. The Fiat 124 Spyder and the Opel GT were my front runners with a nice, used Volvo P1800 in the mix. I came back on leave that December before heading back to SE Asia to find this new Datsun GT car on all the magazines and fell in love with the thing! Eighteen months later I was a civilian with enough money saved up to buy that beautiful Datsun Z. But when my local dealer smilingly told me that it would cost me $2500 over MSRP ($3995 at the time) and a six – month wait and no guarantee of my color choice I managed to not deck the jerk (but just barely). I went down the street and bought a Toyota Corolla coupe and a new motorcycle and vowed to never own a Nissan product. The 240Z was and is a wonderful car but I know of many other potential owners who also walked away because of the vultures who sold the things.

The key was always to find another dealer who would sell the car at least, or slightly over. They weren’t All like the one you found.
Though the guy from whom I bought my Black Pearl larded it up with a sunroof, chrome strips down the side and a bunch of tape stripes and charged me an extra $850 for it at the time. But the Black Pearls were rare and I wanted it, so I forked out the money grudgingly and hated the sunroof for 28 years. It is now gone.
The Z came on the market at $3500.
In the ensuing decade, rampant inflation pushed the nominal “cost” of it much higher. My car was about $12,000 new.
This caused a problem, because when it came time to fix/redo them, the nominal cost was “more than I paid for the car.” So people threw them away by the tens of thousands, and they pretty much disappeared from the roads where they had previous been all over the place.
The dealers who took advantage of their customers tended not to last long. But at the time, the car being new to the market and with an uncertain future, they figured to grab the money while they could.
Your story is not uncommon.

The markup fiasco during the introduction of the 240Z was a low point in its domestic history. I was in school in LA, and witnessed dealers and non-dealer individuals routinely adding mandatory AC and slotted alloy wheels, and demanding $1500 over MSRP($3596). I know people who had to travel to Phoenix to order the color they wanted and alloys they wanted, and to pay much closer to MSRP. Mine came from Boston mainly because they weren’t in such demand there and I had friends there to help.

As for the chap who went back to the BMW 2002 because of rust issues on his 240Z, very nice cars but no less prone to the tinworm, particularly lining the shock towers, if you lived in the snowbelt. About 15 years, I had a chance to buy a mint 2002tii, and reluctantly changed my mind because it would have been a daily driver, and was told by a 2002 expert that it would be nearly impossible to protect it from the road salt and sand it would be subjected to during winter in NE.

Thanks for this article Kurt. It certainly answers all of my questions from the other day. Restored vs. original. What memories I have of my Z cars and no offense to my fellow Oregonian, Don Homuth, the 70′-73′ are the ONLY Z’s for me with the preference on the 70′-72′. [Hitachi SU carbs]. One memory that ONLY an early Z car man can relate to was the delightful smell of walnut on the palms of my hands after a long and spirted drive on winding country roads. It’s hard to believe that Nissan could call a car restored that had a black or wrong color engine compartment, then again, it’s amazing they could even remotely restore them for that price. Jeff, it would be nice to see a “Hitachi” battery in your car [black with yellow caps or later white with blue top] but I suppose that’s not possible. Anyway, Beautiful car !

De gustibus. No offense taken.
I looked long and hard at the carburetors, and even had the manifolds available to put triples on my car.
But in the end, I like the basic simplicity of fuel injection, so decided to go with that instead. There was a good reason why Nissan chose that route, when faced with the need for continued performance And compliance with air pollution and fuel mileage standards. They tried and failed with the 260Z. The solution was the FI system in the 280 in 75, built under license from Bosch.
Worked just fine with much less twiddling with it.
Besides, now when I show mine, it’s something unusual — which has a certain panache all its own.

Hey Don, Yep, I remember the 280 being a huge performance leap from the 260 plus….finally….a 5speed …all beautiful cars of course. Mine both had American Racing 4 spoke Libre wheels and were lowered slightly with larger front sway bar and added rear bar. Just right ! Someday, maybe you and I can get together. I’d love to see your Z !

The Z purists who like carburetors tend to be somewhat sniffy about we FI types. But I can tell you that they go like a scalded dog.
And you wouldn’t Believe a 3.1 liter “stroker” engine with about 300 hp unblown. They can be driven hard, but there comes a point where it’s not really worth it.
(Unless you need to teach someone a lesson, then sometimes it is. ;-D)

I guess I am one of the stuffy ones. I have a 240Z with S Us that is Hitachi S Us . My engine has zero emission bits on it. I put the car through the State emissions check. Didn’t need to because of age it is exempt. I pass all tests no sweat. The engine is actually a 280 that has been slightly modified. Compression and mild cam. I am routinely getting
30 mpg on the Hwy. and mid to hi 20s in town driving. The engine does will on the Dino for a small displacement .
136 hp and 155 ft. lbs to the ground. I only need to check the oil in the carbs. once a year and haven’t had to do any adjustment for over 3 years. and I drive my Z average 6K a year. I do check everything in the spring but that is it. I do not know of a easier or simpler induction system. I cannot say the same for fuel injection. If you have a mechanic do all your maintenance then maybe fuel injection is simpler.

Don’t need a mechanic to deal with the FI setup. Not the factory one — the one I designed with the help of a certified Nissan technician. It is single rail — not the bundle of tubes on the factory system. It has a manually adjustable analog fuel pressure valve so HP can be dialed in as desired (with some help elsewhere, naturally). So long as someone comprehends how there is a low and a high pressure side to FI, working with it thereafter becomes remarkably easy. It gets readjusted and recalibrated maybe once a year. It’s also quite a low-volume thing, so it doesn’t take up much room under the hood.
As for performance, it more than speaks for itself.

I would enjoy that as well. Always happy to do some Car Guy talk with another fan.
As for aerodynamics, I went with 1″ Eibach lowering springs, headlight covers, front air dam without the cooling ducts, and the small BRE-type spoiler on the back.
The suspension is Really big anti-sway bars front and rear, the polyurethane bushings everywhere, and everything underneath (where it can’t be seen but I know it’s there) is powder-coated aluminum.
The early stock configuration Zs had a regrettable tendency to lift at >85-90 mph, and you’d see them going nose-high down the highway.
Mine just sort of snuggles down the faster you go.
Find me through northwestz.org.
There’s another group of Black Pearl fans who consider me to be some sort of iconoclast, since mine is so modified, and most of the ones they get all enthusiastic about are strictly stock.
Stock is great! I still have All the original parts that can make mine stock. It’s a two-friend, two-XL pizza, two six-pack, two weekends worth of work.
Those will all go with it when I sell it. In maybe 5-10 years or so. I’d at least like to get to owning it 40 years anyway.

I really, really, really wanted one of these ca 1974. I had quickly tired of my VW Super Beetle and wanted something more rewarding to drive. Unfortunately no bank would lend me enough money and I had too much pride to ask my father for a loan. I ended up buying a Vega (yes, I know but it was better than driving the VW), and a motorcycle. I have been tempted by 240Z’s several times since then but have never pulled the trigger; I guess I didn’t want one as badly as I thought. Kudos to the Maders for driving this car, I hate to see cars made into trailer queens.

I never underestimated the Vega. But then, unlike the factory boffins, I always put the coolant recovery system on mine. As an intra-urban car for daily errands and such, it was a superior choice to the Z.
The 1976-1977 Vega GTs had a proper 5-speed, delivered acceptable if not stunning performance, handled quite nicely, could be gotten very well appointed and was a bargain at the price.
It also had the longest (60k miles) engine warranty available from a US manufacturer at the time.
They too were pretty much thrown away. I have been keeping my eyes out for a 76-77 GT wagon unmodified (I don’t Want a SBC — sorry) in reasonable condition, but thus far the search has been fruitless.
As for the Z, go ahead and pull the trigger. It remains affordable for most folks, even if these high-dollar restorations are way over the top. Find one without too much rust. Look at the floor pans especially.
But it’s still a workable toy for a motorhead to deal with.
Best of luck!

As well it ought to be. It’s just Stunning! Allow me to extend my personal invitation for it to enter next year’s Forest Grove Concourse. I’d love to see it here.
Jaguar is now offering the same sort of factory restoration service, at high-dollar prices, for those who want an E-type. Probably a good idea. There are a Lot of not very good E-types out there, at prices that make No sense to me at all.
It’s too bad that Nissan couldn’t make a go of its restorations, but the market has chanced since 1970. People who wanted one badly then are now in their 60’s and 70’s, and the young people aren’t particularly interested in their grandfather’s cars any more.

In Forest Grove, Oregon. Nice community SW of Portland. The event is held on a campus of a private college — just a lovely venue.
We are hoping to get more higher-quality Zs to the event in coming years. This first year just broke the ice. Subsequent years should get better.
We are limited to six cars in the class, so we’d like to choose the best we can find. I suspect yours is one.
And the spectators were delighted to see the first ones this year. They drew larger crowds to talk with the presenters, and the crowds never really diminished for most of the day.

Well, having worked in Portland in the 80’s, and attending a Forest Grove concours during that time, I had a hunch that you might take a rain check. How about bringing your 240Z to the Weston Rotary show in late September. That’s a little closer to home. There was a red one there last summer, but one can never have too many Z’s at a show.

As the proud owner of an original 29k miles 73 240z, i appreciate your car. The “z therapy” carb conversion is a recommended upgrade to any of the old carb. cars. Hitachi’s mentioned above eventually leak. A little shot of starter fluid in the air cleaner and it fires up and runs perfect every time. Wonderful cars that will only appreciate in value. The younger guys get more excited looking at the Z and NSX on the road, than my mid year vette. Changing demographic of car guys for sure.

Hi dsqyare, Boy, I never had any problems with any of my 240Z Hitachi carbs. The SU type up to 72′ were the best. Just pull the choke and fires right up. The 73′ I had was not as good. They changed those carbs to a [Solex type?] Not as good as the SU types for sure and more finicky. Probably some polution control thing. A lot of people converted them to the su’s. I had Hitachi SU’s in a SSS 510 motor as well. They were a delight !

My first sports car was an orange 72 240Z. Big difference than the muscle cars i was use to. But what a fun car.
This is an outstanding example. Nice to know it’s enjoyed the way it was meant to be. Very rare to see these days, Even here in So Cal. They rusted here too.Right in front of the back tires.

Yes – the dog legs rusted there too -but it took them 25 to 30 years to do so. The front fenders on the 70-75 BMW 3.0 CS & CSi’s rusted through from the inside out as well, and they were $15K/$18K when a a Z was $4K to $6K.

I’m the original owner of my 72 240Z – a small patch on the rear threshold plate where the deck lid closes and the dog legs rusted though – but it took over 30 years on my Z here in Florida. I’m the second owner on another Florida 72 – same story. The 67 911S I owned in Ohio – was rusting through in front in 4 years. Road Salts there.. The fact is that the 911’s and Z’s had very thin sheet metal o begin with – that was one way to keep the weight down.

The 510’s have their own local fan club, and can be found in Datsuns Northwest – which I believe comes out of WA state.
Some of the local restorations are plainly wonderful, and besides they’re good little cars.

Im one of the ones that put on blue lake, which is on our 30th year this sunday for our datsun/nissan show. My 510 isnt restored either, its fully preserved and 99% original, 2nd owner. Won alot of awards, been in alot of shows, but i just show it for fun anymore, i dont care to win with it because its won enough over the years. My 510 is of about 5 other dimes that have actual documented history that can prove their milage and that they have not been restored. Makes it more fun when people ask how hard it was to restore and im like restore..?…its been this way since new LOL.

Saddly was probally modified with a different engine, 5 speed, everything by now The people that wanted to buy my car before i bought it wanted to modify it, or another to their son as his first car. The PO, who i knew since i was around 5 (never imagined a car i loved so much growing up would eventualy be in my garage) he told them all no. He had cancer and wanted to be sure it went to someone who would care for it, so he contacted me and my old man, and i ended up purchasing her for way under value because i promised out of my respect for him that i would maintain her the way he did. She is 99% all original, just re-spray in spots due to typical rust since she was a canadian car, but other than that, shes all original from the mirrors to the hitatchi downdraft. I even run whitewalls on her because they never look right without the whitewalls. Shes even got the original vinyl covers over the rear door cards that the dealer normally ripped off, and all the info has been documented on her since the 70’s, and in the 90’s she was in ufo and a few other magazines. Been alot of 510’s popping up latetly where they say 50k original miles, all preserved, and i have to ask the question, where have these miracle preserved cars been the last 30 years? Alot of people have been starting to restore, or finding restored cars that have been sitting from the 90’s and trying to say they are preserved and original and 50k miles, when really they are restored , and have 150…250k miles, because they think just that it was still shiney and out of a old ladies garage that it must be a survivor lol. I love when preserved, stock, or restored cars show up that are done great, i just hate when people lie to try and make more money off of something Happening more and more lately (makes me glad i have folders upon folders of documentation, and my cars pretty well known in the community. Had a few even tell me if i ever changed the car id be hunted down…..i would say lol after that but i think a few were serious

That’s wonderful Dan, Sounds like your car went to the right home. The only thing I did to that 73′ was transfer American Racing Libre’s from another 510 and rear amber turnsignal lenses. Kept the original wheels, caps and lenses of course. Wish I had your email, I could send you old pics. Do you know John Wayland ? [ White Zombie 1200 ] He and I go way back and he mentored me back in my 510 days.

Oh ya i know John, so does my dad. Names Dan Uphoff. danfiveten@gmail.com I remember when white zombie was a shell being built in his shop, and his blue 1200. He has my grandpas old 520 that i know has been his super slow project over the last 16 years.

Hello Everyone:
Great Article.
First let me say that I know Jeff – and the Z couldn’t have a better owner. He has put a lot of effort into that Z and it shows.

1. Kurt Ernst – – During the Nissan Vintage Z Program every effort was made to keep the original matching number engines in the cars. Some of the engines simply could not be rebuilt again with the safety margins Nissan insisted on. {cylinder wall thickness, block deck height, or corrosion damage to internal cooling passages}. Since Nissan was going to fully “refresh” these 240Z’s – they did not buy the lowest mileage/best examples available. They did buy cars that were “complete” and for the most part “unmolested” – but which needed to be fully refreshed. As far as we can tell at this point – about 1 out of 5 needed to have engines replaced.

2. Gary G – The Vintage Z as delivered by the Dealer – had the engine compartment completely correct. It was painted body color. Friends of mine bought the car from the local Nissan Dealer in Tampa, Fl. Secondly Nissan did not call them “Restored”, Nissan called them “remanufactured” and right up front said they would make improvements in certain areas related to durability and safety. Newer type paint, better body rust proofing, current size radial tires etc.

3. While everyone likes to mention rust in the same breath as Z – I am here to tell you that rust was a common issue with all cars in the 50’s and 60’s and into the 70’s. Porsche 911’s were just as bad as the 240Z’s. The main difference was that the 911’s sat in peoples garages most of the time – where the Z’s were almost always driven daily. True – rust is an issue – but it is amazing today that such a large percentage of 240Z’s are still on the roads. Rust was not so much an issue in the Western, Southern or South Western States. Still these are 41+ years old now. In 1970 – how many people were still driving 1930’s automobiles? {other than chopped/channeled street rods}.

Absolutely beautiful! Get car,Jeff. I purchased a 1972 in 1977 for $2200. It had over 100k miles and 25 pounds of bond 😉 but I loved it.. now I have a 92 300z with 117k miles. Would love a 240z again to go with the 300z

Production was Huge over the decade of the 70’s. I read in one source that they outsold all other sports car in the world – combined during that period. Don’t know if that’s true, but I do know they absolutely Dominated the sports car market.
They disappeared because of an odd set of circumstances, coming on the market at a Very low price, after which rampant inflation kicked up the price to double or triple that, and when it came time to have them fixed/repaired, the cost was “more than I paid for the car” and they were thrown away by the tens of thousands. Some few examples of mobile rust remained smoking down the roads from time to time, but mostly they were simply destroyed out of hand.
Some few remained, mostly because of a few diehards (I am one) who rather liked Katayama’s vision for a low-priced sports/GT that offered relatively high performance.
In addition to which, there was the group who just generally derided Japanese cars of any sort — even the really good ones like the Z.
(I had an entrant in an open show I had my Z in who objected quite vigorously to having his ’52 Chevy lead sled parked “next to a Jap car.” Really.)
They were not saved, some because like most other cars of the era they suffered rust, some because they had the crap driven out of them and were simply worn out, some because they were left outside in the weather and simply deteriorated and some because they were wrecked because people drove them too hard without bothering to maintain the suspensions and drivetrains properly.
Which is why the spectators at the shows I attend so often say “They used to be all over the place, but now I don’t see them any more.”
They are still out there, and are now on an upward slope of both interest and value. They remain simple to work on and the end result is quite presentable.
And people remember just how good they were and regret that they threw them away back in the day.

I was in college in Gainsville, Florida in 1970 or 71. I was recovering from a major crash in my Austin Healey 3000-6 and driving a 68 Buick Special my Dad had given me to tide me over. I was cruising along about 80 on the raod across the ‘prairie’ south of Gainsville when I saw a car coming up from behind at a pretty fast closing rate. As it got near I thought it was some exotic Italian job so I punched the Buick and as I was accelerating the Z passed me by and continued to pull away as I maxed the Buick out at say 110 or 15. I gained respect for the mark that day. Nice little cars. I didn’t own one until later when I picked up a 280….that I was not all that impressed with.

Beautiful car, Jeff. Thanks for keeping the flame alive. My first car out of college was a ’71 240Z. Yellow/blk, m/ and a/c. I loved it, but then other car temptations arose and I foolishly sold it. The young man who bought it smashed it into a tree several months later. I hated the thought. I did all of my own work on it, even at a young age and to this day, I still come across a few old “Z” parts in my work bins, from time to time! I’ve owned over 70 cars since then, but would cherish another nice 240 if I could find a solid example.
Happy motoring.

They are out there, and mostly still modestly priced.
Previous owners of the original S30 Zs continually say they’d like to have another one. I always suggest getting one before the prices start to skyrocket.

Love your ride.I purchased a new silver 240Z which was the 1st of that year to come into my dealer. It was my 1st new car at around $4200. and was a ball, very fast handled great. Thanks for tripping my memory.

I have very frond memories of a 72 240Z that I had the pleasure of using for a few weeks back in 1976. It was by far one of the best driving experiences that I can recall. Fast, smooth and very comfortable for a 6’3” frame. Being on the east end of LI at the time it was a pretty rare site too. I just wish that I had kept that car. As I recall it had a very distinctive sound running up through the gears too. Good memory! Thanks for the photos.

Don, thanks for intelligent remarks regarding the urban myth about the 240 and the E Type. And Mr. Mader, thank you for sharing a lovely car. i
live on the Left Coast although I’m a Boston Boy
and you would be appalled at the molested Zs out here.

i did attend the show and must say all z’s present were beautiful. i have owned 21 z’s thru the years starting when my wife had to have a pretty silver 240. however she was too small and couldn’t see over the steering wheel, so i traded her my z28 and then the love affair started for me.after the 21st z i got bored and sold it to a guy in france, and he loves it.now i have a late model mustang gt and love it very much,however, it doesn’t get the looks that old z got.i’m older now and tired of fighting the rust and time it took to hunt down those rare parts needed to keep her running. when on ebay, the first ads i look at are for zcars. old habits die hard. good luck, stay well.

Still have my 1972 240Z that I purchased in 1976.
Silver with the red interior. Restored in 1992.
But not to the level of Jeffreys car.
Judging from what my car cost to restore, I new right off
that the Nissan program would not last.
The price they wanted to sell them for just did not add up.
I am sure they lost money on all of them.
Body is still stock but all the Datsun Competition goodies
purchased over the years nicely hidden underneath.
I get many comments from strangers when I drive it.
Some know what it is and others have no idea. They never
saw one before. The car gets harder and harder to sell
because of all the attention it gets. What else could I buy for the price that you rarely see on the road.